Solved: Photoshop error ‘problem parsing the jpeg data’

You love to create a pitch-perfect picture and what a better tool than Adobe Photoshop. However, errors like ‘Could not complete your request because of a problem parsing the JPEG data’ obstruct your creativity.

‘Every time I try to open a photo in Photoshop Elements, it gives the error ‘could not complete your request because of a problem parsing JPEG data’. I tried to save the file in Paint and download in Photoshop again. Still, the error continues to pop up. How do I fix this? I really need to work on these photos.’

 ‘I am having an issue opening images downloaded from Facebook in Photoshop. Every time I try, I get the error – ‘…could not be opened because there was a problem parsing JPEG data.’ I am using Photoshop CC 2015.5.’

— Photoshop users in Adobe forum

The fault is not always with the Photoshop program. Often technical glitches in the file format or the system can cause the error

How to solve problem parsing the JPEG data in Photoshop

The JPEG parsing error appears in Photoshop when user tries to import a JPEG image into Photoshop. However, Adobe is very prompt when it comes to addressing issues and bugs in the Photo Editor, like this one.

It has fixed the problem in Photoshop CC 2018 version 19.1.4. So, to avoid the error you should opt for updates.

But, wait…Many of you may not want to leave your older version of Photoshop. So what’s the solution of JPEG parsing error in ‘YOUR’ version of Photoshop?

Read on to know the methods that help to fix JPEG parsing error without installing the latest Photoshop on your computer.

Methods to fix Photoshop JPEG parsing error

1. Update your Photoshop

Since the parsing JPEG data issue is fixed by Adobe in the Photoshop update, it is ideal to get the latest version 19.1.4. You can update Photoshop CC through Creative Cloud desktop app.

Steps to update Photoshop via Creative Cloud Desktop

• Click on Creative Cloud Desktop App on your  PC/Mac
• Log in to your account

• Click Apps from the menu on top
• Click Update button given across your Photoshop. It may take few minutes to finish the update process

If you don’t want to install the latest Photoshop version, move to the other troubleshooting ways to fix parsing the JPEG data error.

2. Open JPEG image in Paint

Open your JPEG file in Paint and hit ‘Save’. Now open your new image file in Photoshop. It should work fine.

Alternatively, you can choose ‘Save As’ option and save the picture in a different format other than JPEG like .PNG.  Next, open the picture in Photoshop. It should open without giving the JPEG parsing error.

3. Make Change in Windows Registry

When you install Photoshop or any other program on your PC, their configuration settings are stored in the Windows registry. The registry has a DWORD value. Changing the integer value of DWORD for Adobe Photoshop can help to solve problem parsing the JPEG data.

How to change DWORD value in Windows Registry:

• Hit Window +R. Type Regedit
• Follow Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Photoshop\120.0 (or whichever folder is shown there)

• Add DWORD to ‘OverridePhysicalMemoryMB’ file. Double click on file.
• Edit DWORD Value dialog box appears. Check in hexadecimal in Base.
• Enter the value data 4000 (recommended 4000-8000 value for 4-8GB RAM)

• Click OK and close the Edit DWORD box
• Restart your computer
• Next open the problem JPEG photos in Photoshop

4. Open in another Photo editing software

If the above methods don’t fix JPEG parsing problem, why not give another photo editing program a chance!

Rather struggling and losing out on your images due to the parsing error, give Adobe Photoshop a miss and choose a different photo editor like Adobe Lightroom, IrfanView, Gimp, Corel PaintShop Pro etc., to edit your pictures.

5. Open and rotate in Picture Viewer

Try once by opening your image in the default photo viewer and rotate the image. It’s actually a kind of hack that worked for some users.

What you have to do:

• Open the JPEG file in the Windows default picture viewer
• Rotate the image by clicking on Rotate icon until comes to default configuration
• Close it without doing any changes
• Now open the image in Photoshop, the file opens perfectly

With no clear reasons, this hack has worked for many users. So no harm in giving it a try to fix the JPEG parsing problem.

6.Import/Export photos from Downloads (For Mac users)

Adobe forum reports, some Mac users fixed the JPEG data parsing error by importing and exporting the image in Photos App. You can also try the same.

Follow the below steps on your Mac computer:

• Download the image to your ‘Downloads’ folder
• Open your ‘Photos’ program on Mac
• Go to ‘File’ menu, and scroll down to ‘Import’
• When the window opens, go to ‘Downloads’ folder where you saved your photo and click on the photo which is giving JPEG error
• Now go back to the ‘File’ menu, and click ‘Export’
• When the window opens, click the ‘file type’ and change JPEG to TIFF
• Click ‘Export’
• Click on the location you want to save the file
• Click ‘Export’ again

Now, open this saved image file in Photoshop on your Mac. The problem should not appear again.

7. Use a Photo repair tool

Does your JPEG image file fails to open even in a different photo editor or photo viewer? Chances are your photos have corrupted. The only solution is to repair them with the help of a professional Jpeg repair software such as Stellar Repair for Photo.

The software fixes issues like corrupt header, JPEG data, invalid JPEG file structure, or invalid JPEG marker etc., popularly used to fix several JPEG issues, the software is available for both Windows and Mac computers.

Steps to repair corrupt photo

Step 1: Download, install and launch the trial* version of Stellar Repair for Photo on your PC or Mac

Step 2: Click Add File. In the dialog box browse to add the corrupt image files

Step 3: Click Repair to start the process.

Step 4: After the repair process finishes, preview the photos before saving. Next, click Save Repaired Files

*The trial software scans the media and shows preview of all the recoverable files. Once you are able to ascertain the effectiveness, you can save the recoverable files by activating the software. 

Watch the Video to repair Corrupt or Damaged Photos

Wrapping up

Adobe has fixed the error ‘Could not complete your request because of a problem parsing the JPEG data.’ in Photoshop CC 2018 version 19.1.4. Thus, updating your Photoshop is the best solution to fix the error.

However, if you don’t wish to part with your older Photoshop version then try any of these— open and save the photo in MS Paint, change Windows Registry value, rotate the image in Windows default photo viewer or exclusively for Mac users, import and export the images from Downloads folder.

In case your image doesn’t open in any other Photo Editor or photo viewer, it means the problem is with the image file, which may have gone corrupt. Use a photo repair tool like Stellar Repair for Photo to fix the issue.

Hope this post was helpful. Do share with your fellow readers in the comment box below how you fixed the JPEG data parsing error in Photoshop.

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About The Author

Sumona Chatterjee

Sumona is a tech blogger, avid photographer, & technogeek with vast experience in writing about media file recovery tips and tutorials. She has over 10 years of experience in media file recovery/media file repair technology. She is passionate about Photography, Creative Designing, Music, and Exploring lesser-known destinations.